The employment of music in films helps in the development of the plot and to enhance the creation of emotional attachment to the events taking place in the film. One science fiction movie that uses music to convey messages is Blade Runner which was produced in 1992. The composer of the soundtracks of the movie was Vangelis. The soundtracks he designed matched perfectly to the scenes in the film. This paper illustrates how songs are used in particular scenes to pass specific messages and describe various situations.
Vangelis intelligently and carefully chooses the soundtrack to lift the mood of the movie 1 . A scenario where the music complements the visuals is when Deckard sneaks through a dark entry into an apartment where the replicant whom he wanted to kill, was hiding. The music that plays at that moment impersonates the hooting of the owls, thus imitating the feeling of a weird fake night-time noise in the forest in the setting of the urban area. This song raises attention to the unavailability of nature: since the only animals considered to be present are fake. The timing of this song is perfect since Deckard is entering into an apartment that is composed of things which are not real such as robots, dolls, and manikins 2 .
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Another soundtrack that is used in the movie is Tales of the future. This song is used to portray the ‘alien’ qualities of the environment 3 . This song was used by Vangelis to create the picture of a world which had so many strange things which couldn’t be comprehended. He did this in such a way that, though the lyrics of the song resemble Arabic words, all the lyrics did not have any meaning in Arabic except a few lines in the song which were translated to mean “Tell me my dear? Tell me my mother" 4 . This song also fits perfectly into the visual pictures that the movie displays at the time the song is being played. During that period, the film portrays the buildings which the rich occupy which resemble the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt, covered with electrical circuits while most of the population live in the dark streets.
Beauty, which is artificial, and threatened by threat is the sentiment that is illustrated by the song "Love Theme". This song plays in a scene where Deckard compels Rachel, the replicant who can neither be aroused nor can she feel love, to propagate her seduction. The vibe in the jazz song, have been intentionally used to illustrate the forging of a love scene 5 .
In the soundtrack of the movie, various effects of musical instruments are also used to create the setting for certain scenes. There is an instance where bells gently shiver to illustrate the presence of replicants in a particular scene. Vangelis produces glory in hymns aimed at celebrating the beauty that exists within the movie 6 . There are various scenarios where this happens. First, this happens when the cameras are raised high above the ground so that the poverty-stricken streets do not spoil the view of the classy streets. Second, soothing hymns are played when Deckard is high above to view the sun. There are sound effects that are also included when Deckard is lifted high above which illustrates the divisions, which are artificial, in which only the affluent have a look at the sun or acquire beauty that is unattainable.
In composing the soundtracks to the movie, Vangelis aimed at illustrating the fiction in the movie, the detective action, and drama such as those experienced in a thriller. A song that he used to portray all this was One More Kiss. In the monologue that Roy Batty has before his death, the song “Tears in Rain” is played 7 . The feeling of this scene is that since Roy had illustrated humanity, love, and mercy, he is the one who deserved to be given the privilege of seeing love. This music which accompanies this scene is gentle and offers a glimpse of hope that also the artificial people can be filled with love and emotions.
The way that various music correlates to scenes in the movie is one creative way of promoting a deeper understanding of the film. In Blade Runner , each of the songs used has a specific relation to the scene at that time. This movie possesses a challenge to the producers of movies to always include soundtracks that enhance better understanding of the film. The director employed this technique in order to enhance the film and also to arouse the emotions of the viewers. Truly, the music in this film makes it catchy and brings the emotions intended for the various scenes. It is a great piece from the director which has enormous teachings to the viewers.
Bibliography
Bukatman, Scott. Blade runner . Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
Redmond, Sean. Blade Runner . Columbia University Press, 2016.
Soulsby, Nick. “ The myth and majesty of Vangelis’ timeless Blade Runner soundtrack.” 2017. Retrieved from https://thevinylfactory.com/features/blade-runner-soundtrack/
